by Stuart Rees ABC – The Drum 6 March 2012 In the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza, the Qdeh family’s modest rabbit farm is one of several Australian trade union humanitarian aid (Apheda) projects which is bolstering food security for poor families. On a Spring evening in April 2011, Najah Qdeh and [...]
Since then, nothing … (UN) By John V. WhitbeckDear President Abbas, There was visible and audible euphoria at the UN General Assembly in September when you announced Palestine’s application for UN membership, at UNESCO’s Paris headquarters in October when Palestine was admitted as a member state and at UNESCO again in December when the [...]
The Present Stands No Chance Against the Past By Robert Fisk January 28, 2012 “The Independent” – -The Palestinians are not only, it seems, an “invented people” – courtesy of Newt Gingrich – but the only Arabs on the Mediterranean not to enjoy a Spring or [...]
This page has always maintained that a nuclear device will be dropped/used in Iran. It appears that that time is getting closer by the day. The Israelis can never see the light of day at the negotiating table and their [...]
Popular, Peaceful Demonstrations Peace Camps Tent of Nations Other Nonviolent Resistance Click thumbnails to see more. The thumbnails lead to a great many excellent photos Like many Americans and many Jews, I grew up with a positive view of Israel as a peace-seeking democracy. Israel symbolized to me the one protection that Jews had [...]
By Sam Bahour – The West Bank Some Palestinians refuse to just sit still and accept their fate as a permanently, militarily occupied people. One would think by now that Palestinians would have received the message loud and clear – the world couldn’t care less about their fate. But no, these Palestinians just [...]
A girl holds a Palestinian flag as she takes part in a protest against a Jewish settlement in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem Oct. 28, 2011. (Reuters/Nir Elia) NEW YORK (Ma’an) — A United Nations committee on Tuesday approved a draft resolution on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. The draft [...]
Popular Resistance in Palestine – Book Review By Ludwig Watzal (Mazin B. Qumsiyeh, Popular Resistance in Palestine. A History of Hope and Empowerment, Pluto, London-New York 2011.) Palestinian resistance against an Israeli ‘belligerent occupation‘ is mostly viewed as terrorism and rocket attacks. The brutal violence that was inflicted upon the Palestinian people by the Israeli [...]
President Mahmoud Abbas departs the stage after addressing the 66th United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York September 23, 2011. (REUTERS/Eric Thayer) JERUSALEM (AFP) — A top US diplomat is to hold emergency talks with Palestinian and Israeli leaders over the next two days regarding plans for a Palestinian unity government, [...]
Palestine‘s entry depicts Jericho‘s St. George Monastery in Wadi Qelt BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Palestine has been selected as a winner in a poster competition conducted by the United Nations world tourism organization‘s biannual Vettor Giusti Prizes. UNWTO’s secretary-general Taleb Rifai announced Palestine’s win over Saudi Arabia for the Mideast region during a session of [...]
The Unesco executive meets in Paris. It decided on Monday to accept Palestinian membership. Photograph: Benoit Tessier/Reuters Controversial move endorsed in UN cultural agency vote despite US threat of withholding £50m in funds reddit this Associated Press in Paris guardian.co.uk, Monday 31 October 2011 13.11 GMT Article history Palestine has become a full member [...]
President Abbas gestures during a meeting of the Fatah revolutionary council in the West Bank city of Ramallah Oct. 26, 2011. (Reuters/Mohamad Torokman) By Tom Perry RAMALLAH (Reuters) — President Mahmoud Abbas plans to discuss the fate of the Palestinian Authority with his rivals Hamas next month, raising questions over its future with the [...]
Reem el-Hamed Ahmed was a founding member of perhaps the only support group for Palestinians of African descent in Israel/Palestine. By Arthur Neslen Minorities can easily be overlooked in the heat of national struggle. No-one knows exactly how many Palestinians of African descent exist in Palestine. But they have lived on the land since [...]
Locals: Israeli forces detain 6 in dawn raids Published yesterday (updated) 14/10/2011 09:59 JENIN (Ma’an) — Six people were detained by Israeli forces in dawn raids in the West Bank on Thursday, witnesses said. Shadi Talal, Samer Zakarneh and Rami Abdul Latif were detained from Qabatiya village south of Jenin, locals told Ma’an. Israeli [...]
Palestinians hold signs calling for the release of prisoners in Israeli jails including cancer sufferer Akram Mansour, at a protest in front of the International Red Cross headquarters in the West Bank city of Qalqiliya, on April 7, 2011. (MaanImages/Khaleel Reash) BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israel is to release more than 27 female detainees under [...]
Palestinian woman walks next to photos of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, at al-Amari refugee camp in Ramallah, Oct. 12. (Reuters/Mohamad Torokman) BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Turkey will take in the 40 Palestinian prisoners set for exile abroad as part of an exchange deal between Hamas and Israel, Turkish media reported on Friday. Israel [...]
A boy sits on a curb outside his school in Gaza City. (MaanImages/Mohamed Al-Zanon, File) By Daoud Kuttab Haroon Abu Araa has come a long way. In the 15 years I have known him, I have seen the transformation and maturity, from a radical university student activist to his present day position as director [...]
President Mahmoud Abbas holds up a copy of the letter that he had just delivered to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon requesting full UN representation for a Palestinian state, during his address before the 66th UN General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 23. (Reuters/Mike Segar) By John Quigley and Gabi Fahel [...]
Abbas met Chavez in Caracas on Wednesday. CARACAS, Venezuela (Ma’an) — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday welcomed his counterpart Mahmoud Abbas in the capital. The leftist Chavez has long championed the Palestinian cause and has hosted Abbas on previous occasions. Before meeting Abbas at the presidential palace in Caracas, Chavez reiterated his support [...]
A Palestinian boy holds a flag in front of members of the Palestinian Authority security forces in Ramallah, before a celebration upon President Mahmoud Abbas’ return from New York, Sept. 25, 2011. (Reuters/Darren Whiteside) As the Security Council considers Palestine’s application for full membership of the United Nations, Palestinian lawyers, jurists and legal scholars [...]
A Palestinian scout marching band plays at Manger Square in front of the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem September 18, 2011, as Palestinians begin to celebrate ahead of their bid for statehood at the United Nations on Friday. (Reuters/Ammar Awad) By Tom Perry RAMALLAH (Reuters) — The Palestinians [...]
Palestinian students hold flags as they arrive to deliver letters to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon through the head of the UN office in the West Bank city of Ramallah September 20, 2011. (REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman) BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Fatah central committee member Nabil Shaath said Monday that nine countries in the Security Council were committed [...]
Thousands of Palestinian children fly kites on the beach in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya on July 30. (MaanImages/Wissam Nassar) BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A Palestinian blogger and writer from the Gaza Strip has been awarded the Honorary Anna Lindh Mediterranean Journalist Award for 2011, a statement from the Anna Lindh foundation [...]
Women take part in a protest at the Red Cross headquarters in Gaza City on Oct. 3, 2011, to show their solidarity with prisoners held in Israeli jails. (Reuters/Mohammed Salem) BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli prison authorities are cracking down on Palestinians on hunger strike in Israeli jails, a prisoner rights group said Thursday. Strikers [...]
st. Former President Clinton supported Kosovo’s independence by launching a NATO bombing campaign against Serbia [GALLO/GETTY] Why Kosovo but not Palestine? Serbia was historically more aligned with Russia, while Israel serves US foreign policy interests in the Middle East In his September 21 speech to the United Nations, President Obama announced that he would [...]
Blair is facing Palestinian calls to step down as Mideast envoy. By Ali Sawafta Abbas aide: PA still working with Blair This war criminal acts for everyone and anyone to pursue his own agenda and to curry favour with any elite position. There seems to be no limit to his unlawful and immoral conduct. George [...]
As well as applying for UN membership, Palestine may also seek to join the International Criminal Court [Reuters] Palestine and Israel: A rights-based approach Calling for negotiations instead of statehood for Palestine “holds justice hostage to the political will of Israel”. Shawan Jabarin Last Modified: 05 Oct 2011 11:0 Some governments have objected to the [...]
Palestinians held a rally outside UNESCO in Gaza City in support of Palestine‘s UN bid last month [Reuters] Palestine has won a first diplomatic victory in its quest for statehood when the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation [UNESCO] executive committee backed its bid to become a member of the cultural body with the rights [...]
Mahmoud Abbas received several standing ovations from many of the assembled delegates [REUTERS] Reflections on the Abbas statehood speech Regional developments that increasingly support Palestine may be Israel‘s historic opportunity for sustainable peace. Richard Falk Last Modified: 04 Oct 2011 08:58 There is a natural disposition for supporters of the Palestinian struggle for self-determination [...]
Palestinian Freedom Later, Not Now O by STEPHEN LENDMAN on OCTOBER 3, 2011 October 2, Haaretz said “Israel accepts Quartet peace plan,” making Palestinian UN membership conditional on negotiating peace with an unwilling partner. No matter that decades of on-and-off talks never achieved resolution and won’t now. Moreover, Israel doesn’t negotiate. It demands. As a result, restarting [...]
Abbas’ Dangerous Path to Palestinian Statehood Palestinian President, Mahmud Abbas, whose presidency had expired since early 2009, is treading a dangerous path when submitted a formal bid on Friday September 23rd to the UN to recognize a Palestinian Statelet – on the remaining fragmented and besieged by the separation wall 20% of historical Palestine- [...]
Palestinian intellectual Edward Said became a staunch proponent of a one-state solution [AP] Palestine and the politics of hope Palestinians should consider the late Edward Said’s strong support for a one-state solution. Farid Y. Farid Last Modified: 03 Oct 2011 16:26 Towards the end of his highly anticipated speech at the United Nations General Assembly, [...]
Abbas Well-Deserved UN Applause 24 September 2011 When Binyamin Netanyahu addressed the US Congress some months ago he was given multiple standing ovations by America’s Senators and Congressmen. Yesterday the whole world, represented at the UN by their Ambassadors, sincerely and spontaneously gave Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas a standing ovation – with the exception of [...]
Palestinian leaders renew attack on Tony Blair over Israel Tony Blair in New York. He has lost his credibility as a neutral mediator by ‘parroting’ Israeli demands, say Palestinian leaders. Photograph: Allison Joyce/Reuters The Palestinian leadership has stepped up its attack on Tony Blair in his role as envoy of the Middle East Quartet, saying [...]
Palestinian statehood bid kicked into committee by UN security council Riyad Mansour said the UN security council should approve the statehood request because much of the world already recognises Palestine as a country. Photograph: Shen Hong/Xinhua Press/Corbis The UN security council has moved the issue of recognising a Palestinian state to a committee which [...]
Israeli soldiers hand out confiscation orders in the West Bank village of Izbat al-Tabib, east of Qalqiliya, on April 7, 2011. (MaanImages/Khaleel Reash, File) BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces notified villagers near Bethlehem that their land will soon be confiscated, local residents said Wednesday. Land owned by 40 families in Battir village — 148 [...]
In the Shadow of the Wall, the West Bank is Burning By Mats Svensson Today’s wall is longer, higher and it does not stop terrorist activities inside the West Bank. Houses are demolished, land is destroyed and people are dying. It is night. He is dark and it is dark. The fear comes out of [...]
Palestine to press for UN vote on full statehood ‘as soon as possible’ Palestinians carry a chair representing their seat at the United Nations during a rally in Ramallah upon Mahmoud Abbas‘s return. Photograph: Darren Whiteside/Reuters President Mahmoud Abbas returns to Ramallah and declares to cheering crowds that the ‘Palestinian Spring’ has begun [...]
In the mainstream media, the human effects of Israel‘s occupation of Palestine are largely ignored [GALLO/GETTY] It’s the show that time and the world forgot. It’s called the Occupation and it’s now in its 45th year. Playing on a landscape about the size of Delaware, it remains largely hidden from view, while Middle Eastern headlines [...]
AP Photo/Richard Drew LATEST NEWS With UN bid, Abbas rises out of Arafat’s shadowFACT CHECK: Abbas presents disputed narrative Latest developments in Arab world’s unrest Israel’s Labor Party picks ex-journalist as leader TV: Former journalist to lead Israel’s Labor Party PHOTO GALLERY Conflict in the Middle East BUY AP PHOTO REPRINTS UNITED NATIONS [...]
The Palestinians have set the cat among the pigeons with their freedom song. And it’s good to see Uncle Sam and his fiendish brat break out in a cold sweat for a change. So what are Israelis and their patrons afraid of? All that the Palestinians have demanded is UN recognition for the little [...]
Canada’s former ambassador to the UN, Paul Heinbecker. (UN) By Paul Heinbecker ‘To see ourselves as others see us, would from many a blunder free us,’ advice as sound and pertinent today as when first offered the world by Robbie Burns a couple of centuries ago. Our government’s opposition to the Palestinians‘ application to join [...]
Netanyahu and Obama Spurn Peace By Stephen Lendman - Posted on 25 September 2011 Netanyahu and Obama Spurn Peace – by Stephen Lendman As a belligerent modern-day Sparta, Israel is a pariah state. Netanyahu exceeds the worst of Ariel Sharon. His government is Israel’s worst ever. His majority Knesset allies are rogue, racist criminals, operating outside [...]
Palestine – Hope or Despair? by ALAN HART on SEPTEMBER 21, 2011 The main difference between Netanyahu and Abbas was that the Israeli leader could not say “Yes” to President Obama and the Palestinian could not say “No”. But the drama about to unfold at the UN in New York indicates that Abbas, better late than never, [...]
The one-sided US veto: an astounding display of hypocrisy By Neve Gordon and Yinon Cohen US President Barack Obama’s decision to use the USA‘s veto prerogative if the United Nations votes to recognize a Palestinian state will constitute a blow to those seeking peace in the Middle East. The Obama administration’s claim that peace can be [...]
5 teens detained in Jerusalem Published yesterday (updated) 23/09/2011 20:18 An Israeli police officer gestures during clashes with Palestinians in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Ras al-Amud on September 23, 2011. (REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun) JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli police detained five Palestinian teens in Jerusalem on Friday, after thousands of officers were deployed around the [...]
Israeli forces kill Palestinian in northern West Bank Published yesterday (updated) 23/09/2011 22:02 Medics say Issam Kamal Odeh was shot dead by Israeli forces in Qusra near Nablus on Friday during confrontations after morning prayers. (MaanImages) NABLUS (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Friday killed a Palestinian man and injured five others during clashes in [...]
A Litany of Diplomatic Failures in US and Europe By SPIEGEL Staff DPA Sixty years after Israel declared statehood, the Palestinians want to follow suit this week. Washington, Jerusalem and Berlin are all trying to prevent the move. However, the Arab Spring has created new realities in the Middle East that can no longer be [...]
JUAN GONZALEZ: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to officially submit a statehood request to the United Nations Security Council later today. The United States has vowed to veto the move. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I am convinced that there is no shortcut to the end of a conflict that has endured for decades. Peace is hard work. Peace [...]
The Palestinian people are fed up with symbolic victories. (UN Photo/file) By Ramzy Baroud – Arab News When Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas decided to go to the United Nations to request the admission of Palestine as a full member, he appeared to have had an epiphany. Had he finally realized that for the past [...]
